Stuart Broad elated at taking 500 Test wickets together with James Anderson
Stuart Broad expressed his delight at joining, along with James Anderson, West Indies’ Curtly Ambrose and Courtney Walsh and Pakistan’s Wasim Akram and Waqar Younis in becoming only the third pace duo to take a combined total of 500 Test wickets while playing together. Anderson and Broad made it to the list on day 3 of the ongoing Test match between England and India in Southampton.
"To go into the company of Wasim and Waqar, and Courtney and Curtly, is a huge honour," Broad said at the end of day 3. "They were four heroes of mine growing up," the 28-year-old added.
Broad said that he constantly takes the advice of his senior partner while coming up with plans for opposing batsmen and stressed the importance of bowling in partnerships.
"I think it shows the value of partnerships when bowling. Jimmy and I constantly talk on and off the field even though we have played a lot of cricket. I will still ask Jimmy at the end of an over what he thinks," he said.
"We work together really tightly. It's a great feeling to know we have 500 together."
Senior players back on track
When asked about the reason for the senior players failing to perform up to scratch this summer, until Southampton, Broad said, "In the summer so far there has been a lot of talk about the new guys coming in and the senior men taking responsibility and maybe we put too much pressure on ourselves."
"Before this Test, Peter Moores (the England coach) came to a few of us and said just go express yourself, don't worry about having to take responsibility, just go and play as though it is your first Test, and I think that has shone through. Cooky and Belly played fantastically with the bat and Jimmy and I have contributed today with the ball," he continued.
Backs Moeen Ali
With the retirement of Graeme Swann from international cricket last year, the onus has almost entirely been on the England seamers to make the crucial breakthroughs. Moeen Ali has been picked as the sole spinner in the side, a decision that has come in for severe criticism, but Broad has offered his support to the bowler, who managed to pick up the crucial wickets of Rohit Sharma and Ajinkya Rahane on day 3 of Test.
"Mo is developing every game as a spinner. He picked up two freebies really but I think that was out of the pressure he had developed. He deserved those two wickets," Broad concluded.